mahmoud vasegh

 During the Cold War, India adhered to the non-alignment strategy and got away from the two-bloc rivalries in Warsaw Pact and the NATO. But after the collapse of the Soviet, by activating its geopolitical capacities, this country has not only become an emerging power of the 21 century, but also by using strategy of globalization, has put convergence with international powers including NATO on its agenda. The relation of India and NATO and its impact on the national security of the Iran is the subject of the present article. The authors tried to answer this question: What is the effect of the expansion of the fields of cooperation between India and NATO on Iran’s national security? Hypothesis of the article is that by partnership with India as an emerging economic and technological power in the South Asia region, NATO is seeking security and expanding hegemony in the region with the aim of controlling Iran and China. This article has used a descriptive-analytical method. Also the authors have used library resources for data collection. The findings show that participation of NATO and India in three areas of the subject, environment and level simultaneously creates opportunities and threats for Iran’s national security.

During the Cold War, India adhered to the non-alignment strategy and got away from the two-bloc rivalries in Warsaw Pact and the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO). But after the collapse of the Soviet Union and change of the international environment, by activating its geopolitical capacities, this country has not only become an emerging power of the twenty-first century, but also by using strategy of globalization, has put convergence with superior international powers including NATO on its agenda. The relation of India and NATO and its impact on the national security of the Islamic Republic of Iran is the subject of the present article. The authors tried to answer this question: What is the effect of the expansion of the fields of cooperation between India and NATO on Iran’s national security? Hypothesis of the article is that “by strengthening of strategic cooperation and partnership in the South Asia region with India as an emerging economic and technological power, NATO is seeking security and expanding hegemony in the region with the aim of controlling Iran and China.” This article has used a descriptive-analytical method. Also the authors have used library, internet, and media resources for data collection. The findings show that participation of NATO and India in three areas of the subject, environment and level simultaneously creates opportunities and threats for Iran’s national security.

This is a fundamental research whose data have been collected using library and Internet resources, media, and NATO documents. The method of analysis in this research is qualitative analysis due to its descriptive-analytical nature. Theoretical framework of the research is written based on the new security concept of NATO for the second decade of the twenty-first century and the subject of convergence.

If the relation of India and NATO is divided into three parts of the environment, level and subject, then some important dimensions of this relation will be clear that can affect the national security of the Islamic Republic of Iran. The relation of India and NATO affects the environment of the Islamic Republic of Iran in far and near borders including Afghanistan, Pakistan, China, Russia and Central Asia. If close relation between India and NATO in Afghanistan provides stability and security to this country, it can be an opportunity for Iran’s national security. But at the same time promoting India’s political, economic and cultural approaches as a model of Western democracy and liberal democracy in the region will be one of the most important threats that the Islamic Republic of Iran will face with it. On the other hand, if the relation of India and NATO leads to the mediation of NATO and especially the United States in the relation of India and Pakistan, it will not only solve one of the most important historical problems of this geographic region, but will also lead to security and peace in Pakistan, which is directly related to interests and national security of the Islamic Republic of Iran. Now the political instability in Pakistan and the historical disagreements of India and Pakistan, which have led to armed peace between these two countries, are potential threats to Iran given the nuclear weapons of both countries, and especially the presence of numerous jihadist extremist groups in Pakistan. Finally, the growth of relations between NATO and India will provide an opportunity for India to expand its presence in the Central Asia more than before, because not only NATO and most Western organizations are pushing for promotion of democracy and free market approaches in the Central Asia, and in the meantime the best option is an Eastern democracy and successful economic system like India, but also India’s presence in Central Asia will be a major obstacle to the influence of the China, Japan, Russia and even Iran in this region. The presence of India on behalf of Western countries in Central Asia is not only a serious obstacle to the effective presence of the Islamic Republic of Iran in this region due to differences in political, economic, security and cultural perspectives, but also in practice prevents many geopolitical opportunities of Iran like transit and traffic. Also, the relations between India and NATO on the level affect the national security of the Islamic Republic of Iran; the convergence of the two sides, which began in the fields of economics, military exercises, and logistics, nowadays is expanded to the security, intelligence, military and political dimensions, and the growth of this trend will add new dimensions to this convergence; the above mentioned cooperation continues strenuously. In this regard, Iran’s interests and national security will undoubtedly be endangered by the various dimensions existing at the level of relations between India and NATO. In this context, given the contrast between the interests and goals of Iran and NATO and numerous grounds of convergence between NATO and India, the growth of relations between these two actors will jeopardize the national security of the Islamic Republic of Iran. Obviously, in case of membership of India in NATO or the official joining of this country in one of programs or plans of NATO, the national security of the Islamic Republic of Iran will be endangered more than ever, because by these measures not only the territory of NATO formally enters the eastern borders of Iran, but also continuous cooperation of India to NATO as one of the main priorities for NATO membership or one of its plans will impose numerous political, security, economic and ... damages on the country. Moreover, NATO attempts to highlight differentiation points between India and Iran and to introduce Iran as a threatening country for the region and the world. This is a strategy that has been specifically emphasized in some of declarations of NATO.

Selection of numerous geopolitical strategies, including  globalization and development of neighborhood by India, and geopolitical strategies of presence outside the region and participation with emerging powers by NATO have made these two actors close partners in the second decade of the twenty-first century. The broad change in India’s approaches to foreign policy and new ideas of NATO about strategic concepts have provided the grounds for convergence of NATO and India, and both sides have entered into a new era of strategic relations in the form of convergence and participation. In the present article the authors have tried to examine these relations. It was said that although during the Cold War the immediate impact of the geopolitical factors had made the relations between India and NATO to be divergent, but with change in grand strategy of the two actors after the Cold War, nowadays these geopolitical factors again have caused convergence to be the most important characteristic of the relations between India and NATO. Although India has no relation with NATO in the form of formal membership or formal presence in strategic plans of NATO, but development of cooperation with NATO in the areas of combating terrorism and extremism, security of Afghanistan, security of energy, countering piracy, controlling China, presence in Central Asia and ..., are signs of formalizing this relation in the future. In this regard, the present article has examined the effects of this convergence on the national security of the Islamic Republic of Iran and by introducing the relations of India and NATO in three main areas of the subject, environment and level, has described these areas. It was said that, by focus on the close relations of NATO and India, in addition to the many threats that can be conceived of because of the conflict between discourses of the Islamic Republic of Iran and NATO, the opportunities of this convergence should not be neglected. At the end, it is suggested that: 1) The authorities of the Islamic Republic of Iran should attach importance to the presence of NATO in all of the maritime and territorial borders of Iran, because this presence undoubtedly undermines the national security of Iran due to the conflict between discourses of NATO and Iran. Also by formal dialogues, scientific conferences and programs, and … the authorities of Iran can use capacities of India and other formal and informal partners of NATO that Iran has a better relationship with them. Instead of the strategies of silence or opposition, In the dialogues and conferences Iranian officials can talk with these countries about expansionist policies of NATO in the Southwest Asia and by using other capacities like Shanghai Cooperation Organization and a centralized and coherent strategic management can compete with NATO; and (2) by using existing opportunities and policies and by extracting and focusing on the needs and commonalities with India in bilateral and regional relations, authorities of Iran can prevent official membership of India in NATO.    

Phenomenology is one of the dominant philosophical schools that gradually entered the western philosophy in the late 19th century, and then attention has been paid to different scientific domains particularly in humanities, geography and human geography. Phenomenology is the study or recognition of phenomena and the phenomena consists of everything that appears to the mind. In other words, phenomenology is direct perception and intuition, without the intermediary of objects and phenomena. The purpose of the mediator in knowing everything is the conventional philosophical and scientific hypotheses, theories, categories and templates, and particular pre-assumptions of the reader. Knowing anything without using conventional formats will be possible only through direct intuition of nature. So this approach seeks direct intuition of objects and phenomena, and in this regard refuses the hypotheses, categories and pre-assumptions, therefore, phenomenology is considered a realistic but experimental approach toward realities. Thus, seemingly this traditional philosophy of science must be classified under the realistic viewpoint. Nevertheless, due to some typical esoterism, and particularly suspending the realities of external world, and even eliminating it as a mind-independent character and full emphasis on phenomenological character of realities, meaning subjective character of objects and phenomena, and eventually due to the phenomenological tradition relying on the intuitive experience approach, against some realistic attributes, this traditional philosophy of science must be classified under the realistic viewpoint. Nevertheless, regardless of positive aspect of this approach, meaning immediate experience of objects and phenomena, the approach mentioned above has some basic and epistemological insufficiency which will encounter serious hardships utilizing it as a scientific approach in the geography domain, and thus, it lacks the efficiency and required capabilities to be utilized in the study fields related to social science, and particularly geography, as a “scientific” approach and methodology. The main objective of this paper, which has been written with a realistic approach and critical rationalism attitude, is to analyze this issue from the viewpoint of logical and epistemological analyses.

The present study due to the nature of philosophy and own logical, is among the fundamental and theoretical research. This study is based on descriptive and analytical method (logical) and its analysis is done based on logical reasoning and arguments. Therefore, discussions and matters from this series of documentaries and library are considered.

Across the last few decades, the Philosophy of phenomenology has been one of the main and dominant schools in the field of western thought, which gradually from the second half of the 20th century, has contributed to the formation of intellectual foundations of western scholars and has influenced many fields particularly humanities domain especially geography. In human geography, across the last decades, we see an evolving tendency among geographers in the field of urban studies, urban design and planning, rural planning, social geography, economic geography, political geography, cultural geography, and some other subcategories are directed towards a kind of human geography that have been influenced by philosophy and methodology of phenomenology, or its derivatives, such as existentialism and interpretive and hermeneutic methods. The question is to see what methodology and principles the inspired geography is based on and what is its ultimate goal? Phenomenological geography refers to geographic studies in which geographic phenomena and subjects are studied by researchers without any intermediaries, regardless of formal and abstract templates, and without reliance on pre-assumptions, theories and customary prejudice in scientific studies and merely as a phenomenology. Thus, in this regard, phenomenological geography has the following characters:1. Immediate experience of objects and phenomena 2. Review of place identity individually and uniquely (monography) 3. Intuitive and interpretive method in recognizing and understanding the phenomena 4. Recognition of phenomena in the form of common sense 5. Utilizing descriptions instead of explanation in identifying the phenomena 6. Refusing pre-assumptions and categories and theories in identifying the phenomena.Meanwhile, the presence and close participation of the researcher in the study of subjects and environmental phenomena and the description and explanation of phenomena and their real descriptions are considered as a positive character of this approach, however refusing the hypotheses and pre-assumptions (which are actually impossible) and the focus on awareness and subjective cognitions and suspension of external world (Epoché) in the process of recognizing phenomena actually turns it into an idealistic approach, and unique cognitions of phenomena also lead to the lack of validation independent of the researcher, and ultimately confronts this approach with relativism, and thus making phenomenology inefficient as a scientific method in geographic studies.

a general sense, since philosophy and phenomenological methodology in different sciences, particularly in the field of humanities and social sciences, especially geography, merely refer to the participation of the researcher in the study of subjects and environmental phenomena and consider remote description and explanation of the phenomena inefficient and emphasizes on their real and deep description through direct and immediate intuition, and particularly suggests direct descriptions and real experiences in the field of researches related to practical plans for geographic places, it is worthwhile and important, and this aspect of phenomenology approach is considered a positive and strong point. Nevertheless, regardless of this positive aspect, the approach mentioned above has some basic and epistemological insufficiency, such as: refusing hypotheses and pre-assumptions, idealistic attitude and subjectivism, nomothetic approach in reviewing the phenomena which leads to the lack of true and false criteria or a lack of validation independent of the researcher’s mind; and in other words, leads to the lack of objectivity and, eventually; historicity and relativism. These issues encounter serious hardships utilizing it as a scientific approach in the geography domain, and thus, it lacks the efficiency and required capabilities to be utilized in the study fields related to social science, and particularly geography, as a “scientific” approach and methodology.

Discovering theories and laws explaining the patterns and behaviors of natural and human world is the goal of science. In social science realm, there here been two antagonist and different approaches about lawability of this sciences. Some schools based on realistic approach have insisted on assimilating the natural and human sciences on the contrary idealistic school considering humanism, considers social science different from natural science and denies the similarity between the lawability of and social natural sciences. This issue in geography is also from those disputable issues that has already been the subject of many disputations among different geographical schools. Some of them points out the geography as a lawable science such as environmentalism, behaviorism, spatial and systematic. In opposition, possibilism, exceptionalism and radical schools (critical and post-modern) considers the geography as a lawless knowledge. this paper proceeds the issue differently that whether the geography is a lawable science or not? If it is, then how are its laws? According to the analysis of the paper, geography is considered as a lawable science. This paper is a fundamental research by the typology and by the purpose is problem resolving (mental and philosophical problem). The analysis of paper is based on logical and epistemological theorems and reasoning’s. The sources used in the paper are documentary and library based. Result and discussion: Scientific law is a kind of generalization with comprehensive reliability and truth. In other words, this kind of law is unbounded universal at time and space including three characteristics such as universal, conditional prediction and experimental falsification. In this field, some of the positivistic geographers following the nature were seeking lawful order and dominating on society and livelihood. In their opinion geography is an objective, observational, quantitative and lawable knowledge. Therefore, its laws and rules can be exploited by the deduction. In this regard, observation without theory has upper priority and geometrical models are most significant. Geography according to this perspective is considered as science seeking for discovering universal rules and principles dominating over environmental elements such as social and natural. The duty of geographer is discovering causative relation between phenomena and representing them based on geographical general and comprehensive laws. In contrast, some geographers doubtfully look at causative and necessary relationships in geography and they have reacted against such attitude. They believe in lawless geography emphasizing on human will and liberty and natural, cultural, historical and ideological differences. These groups among geographical spaces have searched for understanding the meaning of human society. The present paper as regards geography in general and political geography in particular are Credit science, and their studied phenomena and concepts such as state, territory, border, political management of space, government, nation, administrative division, spatial management, political organization of space … and are considered as “rational Credit” and propositions and rational Credit in geography have experimental and testable essence just like natural or physical sciences. Also because in credit science, propositions and laws, it is not necessary to have various truths or be universal, rather, even if the subject of proposition or law is personal it can be considered as a law, as to the point of this paper criterion of being scientific for Credit laws isn’t variety of truths or objective samples, but causal relation between subject and object is its criterion. Therefore, according to the paper geography can be considered as a lawable science. Science is an effort to discover existing order in various phenomena. In other words, the goal of science is discovering theories and rules explaining patterns and behaviors of natural and social world. According to this definition any kinds of science fields and branches studies the order of a part of the world. For example, physics studies existing order in movement of energy and material. Medicine explains and analyses the order of body. Hence, Geography attempts to recognize the existing order in phenomena layout on place and dominated process on patterns (spatial behaviors). Totally, any scientific category is composed of real, objective and tangible subjects that has some characteristics like observationally, experimentality and falsificationality. It is also based on analogical and inductive method or logic or in precisely word, categories are based on compositional mechanism of induction and syllogism. A brief deliberation on theme, structure, subject and methodology in geography will indicate that all the features and characteristics of a scientific knowledge can be found in geography. Therefore, scientific explanation in geography is just like other “lawable sciences”. Of course there is no consensus among geographers about the lawability in geography. As law is a generalized science with comprehensive credit and truth or in other words, unbounded universal are in space and time and the fewest necessary condition for lawability of a scientific phrase is to have a universal generalization. Therefore some geographers due to particularity and specification of places, un-repeatability of human phenomena and role and interference of human wills, values and motivations believe in geography as a lawless science. But since geography is a Credit science, not real, its lawability isn’t necessarily based on plurality and frequency proofs (just like in natural sciences), rather lawability in geography is based on causal relation between subject and object or dependent and independent variables particularly in human and social sciences. Therefore, unlike naturalist geographers point of view, even if a geographical proposition is also personal but there is a causal relation between subject and object, then the personal proposition will be a general rule and law and it can be generalized to all other spaces and places. Therefore according to the analysis of this paper, geography in general and other geography sub-fields like political geography in particular, are considered as lawable sciences.

Nowadays, the term geopolitics is widely used in various fields of study, and is used to analyze and explain political and geographical events at different levels. Unfortunately, despite the widespread use of this term, due to the dominance of the functionalist approach in geopolitical studies, theoretical and conceptual dimension of geopolitics has been neglected and has not been considered so much by the experts. Therefore, some questions like what geopolitics is and what its notion is remain unanswered. The purpose of this article is to provide answers to the above questions through paying attention to the theoretical and epistemological dimensions of geopolitics, and due to the lack of theoretical research in this field, this article intends to provide a meaningful explanation of the nature and meaning of this term.
When we talk about science, of course, we must be in the realm of philosophy. In other words, what is stated, if be meticulous and exploratory, needs to be in the realm of philosophy of science. From the perspective of the philosophy of science, the new science has two logico and empirico attributes. Indeed, two pillars of the new science are logic-rationality and observation-experience. The problem is the inception of science. Science in the solution of the problems grows through the creation of hypotheses. The absence of problems equals the lack of science.
Every epistemic is knowledge of something, but epistemology is a cognition of self-knowledge. Epistemology is a cognition which, by deliberation of knowledge, discusses about the possibilities, types, ways, realms and the validity of it. The most important topic of epistemology is the discussion of the value and validity of knowledge and truth or falsity of propositions.
The term geopolitics was first introduced in 1899 by Johan Rudolf Kjellén. Historically, since Aristotle, the influence of geographic factors on politics has been considered. In the medieval, thinkers such as Montesquieu and in the Islamic civilization, Ibn Khaldūn and others have discussed about this issue. In general, it can be told that geopolitics studies international relations and conflicts from a geographical perspective. This paper, because of its philosophical nature, is a fundamental-theoretical research, and in terms of purpose, it is a part of the problem-solving study (solving the philosophical - mental problems). According to its theoretical nature, the sources used in this paper are document and library resources. This paper has been developed within the framework of studies on the philosophy of science with a realistic approach and in the form of logical and epistemological descriptions and analyzes. The methodological accost to developing this research is critical rationalism. It is clear that this paper is written in the form of scientific-research articles. Geopolitik (Swedish equivalent of Geopolitics) is a solid compound noun. Unlike most compound words in European languages, it was not a bygone word, and it is not much older. Johan Rudolf Kjellén invented the term in 1899 under the influence of Friedrich Ratzel's doctrines. This word consists of two sections Geo (γη or γαια) and Politik (πολιτικα). Both sections are original Greek words and come from Latin to new European languages. However, how is this word from an epistemological perspective? As mentioned, this term is compound in nature, and consists of two distinct parts of Geo and Polytic. These two sections are different in nature. The first section, Geo, is a concrete, general, and essential phenomenon, but the second section, Politik, is not an essential phenomenon, rather it is an abstract and a dummy phenomenon (i.e., made by humans). According to this argument, the ratio of knowledge and value dominates between these two sections, and they relate to the subject of concrete and abstract theorems. Thus, in such a framework, the relationship between these two sections can be explained in this compound word. But how we can analyzed geopolitics epistemological nature? The geopolitics concept is the product of three categories: Geographic Resources, At least two agents and the existence of a relationship of interaction, opposition, competition and domination between agents. All three cases are objective facts; however the concept of geopolitics is subjective and created in the mind.
In the context of Geopolitics’ conceptualization from the epistemological point of view, it must be said that this concept is created in the mind and with the help of reason by making a comparison between the three realities of Geographic source, at least two actors and the relation of interaction, opposition, competition and domination among them. Naturally, these three objective facets are concrete phenomena and make the geopolitics’ conceptual structure a rational abstract phenomenon.
The result of concrete and abstract combinations is nothing but an abstract combination. Due to the dual nature of the geopolitics’ components, (i.e., the concrete Geo and abstract politik), the combination of two parts of geopolitics itself will be an abstract phenomenon.

Security and development are two interconnected and complementary concepts which are of great importance in government's planning. Studies show that security cannot keep going without development, continuation of which is costly. Also it is not impossible to achieve development without creating suitable security structures. Therefore this paper aims to investigate the role of navy in Makran coasts development on the basis of security-development theory, and its effect on national security of Islamic Republic of Iran. This is an applied study with a descriptive-analytical design. It was done through library research and field study (questionnaire) with a statistical population of 30 experts familiar with security issues and the region. Data were analyzed using SPSS software. Supporting the hypotheses of the research, the results indicate that the military presence of navy in Makran coasts will develop infrastructures of harbor, industries and basic facilities for navy's personnel, in terms of healthcare, education, welfare and culture, thus playing a crucial role in bringing the region out of geographical isolation and helping the deprived people living in this region. With regard to the existing potentialities, navy's military presence in Makran can increase job opportunities in harbors and sea-dependent industries which will consequently decrease the local insecurities and increase the security rate of this part of Iran.

The level and the way of distribution of the geographic and environmental resource on earth do not follow any similar pattern and there are vast inequalities. So, there is on geographic space on the earth which could be solely capable of providing the necessary requirements of its residents. Therefore, all spaces depend on other spaces to meet their needs. The question which arises in this regard is that “geographic spaces how and based on what mechanisms could provide their own needs?” In response to this question an approach called “complementary approach” is proposed. The main goal of the article is explaining and presenting functional and theoretical dimensions of the above approach. Because all geographic spaces possess two sets of environmental components including resources and environmental advantages, and weakness, environmental limitations, they can create cycles of complementary interactions by means of interrelated cooperation in which every geographic space is considered as a complementary factor for other spaces. The main goal of this approach is to change the unconstructive competitions which exist among spaces to the friendly relations. And it is clear that in such a situation symmetrical development, peace, stability and security in geographic spaces are possible. Regarding that the approach has functional and problem-solving nature, so it has the power of theoretical explanation and practical organization and also could be applied on all geographic seals. Also, it is applicable in four political, economic, and cultural and security spheres. This article tried to apply this approach on Southeast region of Iran, and its object is solving the issue of underdevelopment and poverty in this region and determining its internal and external complementary regions.
The research is applied in its nature, and is descriptive- analytic in its method. It should be noted, since the fundamentals and provisions of the article are based on assumptions and reflections of the authors, references which are used are limited. In other words, this article has a theoretical character.
Severe limitations on the geographic resources and growth in consumption in different areas, on the one hand put resources under the pressure and from the other hand is the main cause of conflict, competition and war. Accordingly, the research attempts to solve or reduce the current environmental issues, and to provide the proper solution. Satisfactory solution in this regard is a complementary mechanism and approach. The fundamental hypothesis of the above approach is that irrespective of applied plans and policies of the states, because existing resources on earth are not equally distributed, no geographic space is solely capable of providing its residents needs, therefore it is completely essential for geographic spaces to solve their problems in a vast cooperative framework. This collaboration can be considered in security and other political, economic and cultural spheres and also can be proposed in different national scales. One of the most important issues for policy makers and planners is inequality and lack of balances in development levels among geographic spaces. After Second World War, the mind of many governmental bodies and researchers has been occupied by the issue of development of the deprived regions, and different models and patterns have been presented in this regard. In most offered models and patterns, the development of deprived areas were considered based on spot and singular moods, but in most cases, this model is lacked comprehensive efficiency.
Unlike previous models, the model of this article is the cluster model in which the geographic regions and spaces reach to the level of the symmetrical development within the framework of a series of complementary sites and through multilateral cooperation. In addition, stability and security in relations between places are possible. South East of Iran is investigated in this article based on the complementary approach, and apply of the above approach in this region is proposed with the aim of solving the problem of underdevelopment in the region.
The results show that if complementary approach is implemented based on exact information, inequalities, poverty, the issue of undeveloped areas and also disputations and challenges among geographic regions are reduced. To the extent that struggles, gaps and unconstructive contestation among areas are placed with collaboration and cooperation. This article investigated the issue of poverty and underdevelopment in Southeast of Iran in the framework of complementary approach.
According to the results, the capacity and advantages of the region along with its restriction and environmental limitation were explored, and also its internal and external complementary regions along with corporative und collaborative backgrounds were determined and decrypted. According to authors if all phases of complementary approach and its executive rings are properly implemented, this approach would play a vital and unique role in solving problems emanated from poverty and underdevelopment, in particular in underdeveloped regions. Also it would result in peace, stability and security in geographic environments, and in particular in international relations.

Iran People struggle to sit through the forties and fifties solar and the Islamic Revolution led by Imam Khomeini (ra), in addition to important developments in domestic Iranian influence well beyond the borders of his left. Particularly, this has been influential in the cultural field. Religion and culture has been the main approach of this revolution, Of course, one of the revolution factors causing has been cultural and religious background. Therefore its role in the region and the world began and continued in this aspect and not limited to the political dimension. This paper is doneby Descriptive – analytic method. Data and information gathered through books, documents and websites. Research Results showed that Iran's most important religious and cultural practices embodied in the Establishment Institutions such as “Culture and Islamic Relations organization (ICRO)”, “World Forum for Proximity of Islamic Schools”, “The Ahlal-Bayt W0rld Assembly” and etc.

Each geographic region and each country is defined by two factors: 1- Focal point or political center, 2- certain realm and domain. According to international regulations, all countries have certain territorial area which is recognized by International institutions and other countries that is displayed on the world political map. In addition to the official concept of realm, on the basis of Islamic attitude, it is possible to consider another domain for each country which is called sphere of influence.Sphere of influence is a geographical domain theta country is able to control its existing environmental process in perceptible or imperceptible form. The sphere of influence of a country is the total of various political, economic, military, geographical and cultural factors. On the basis of this article, the cultural and soft factors and sources are considered as the most principal factors affecting countrie's sphere of influence.With respect to the this point, the present article emphasizes the Islamic attitude in the domain of political thought, and therefore, this research tries to study and discuss the role of cultural factor and soft sources of power in expanding sphere of influence of countries using the principals of Islamic-political thoughts.In this relation, there is a question that is: “what is the sphere of influence and what factors does it have? In response to this question, a hypothesis is presented that is: “it seems that sphere of influence consists of a country’s influence that exerts and the major index in specifying this sphere is the index of cultural authority.